FILE - In this May 4, 2014 file photo, an Etihad Airways plane prepares to land at the Abu Dhabi airport in the United Arab Emirates. A U.S. official tells The Associated Press that the ban beginning Tuesday, March 21, 2017, affects airports in 10 cities of Cairo in Egypt; Amman in Jordan; Kuwait City in Kuwait; Casablanca in Morocco; Doha in Qatar; Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia; Istanbul in Turkey; and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Here are 5 things you need to know about the DHS' new rules for laptops on planes

By
Mike Denison

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March 21, 2017 10:21 AM EDT

Early Tuesday morning, the Department of Homeland Security revealed new rules for certain airline passengers, banning them from bringing personal electronic devices on board the plane. Passengers flying from 10 airports in eight Muslim-majority countries would have to leave their laptops in checked bags.

Here's what you need to know.

Before we get to how this affects me, what are the new rules?

Passengers flying from 10 airports in eight Muslim-majority countries to the United States will not be allowed to carry on electronic devices larger than a cell phone. They'll have to leave them in checked baggage. Airlines were notified of the rules at 3 a.m. Tuesday and have 96 hours to comply.

The airports are in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

What airports are affected?

Queen Alia International Airport (Jordan)

Cairo International Airport (Egypt)

Ataturk International Airport (Turkey)

King Abdulaziz International Airport and King Khalid International Airport (Saudi Arabia)

Kuwait International Airport

Mohammed V International Airport (Morocco)

Hamad International Airport (Qatar)

Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport (UAE)

A user demonstrates an S Pen stylus while cropping a photograph on Samsung's 12-inch Galaxy notebook running Windows 10 during a press briefing, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, in New York. The Galaxy Book is Samsung's answer to Apple's iPad Pro and Microsoft's Surface devices. Both 10 and 12-inch notebook models come with the keyboard attachment, shown here, which is sold as an optional accessory for Samsung's Tab S3 tablet. But the 12-inch model comes with an AMOLED screen, which offers richer colors and purer blacks than standard LCD screens. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

I've heard this is a 'laptop ban.' Is my tablet/game console/camera OK?

Nope, unless those things are smaller than a smartphone. Medical devices are allowed.

What's behind the ban?

U.S. officials said intelligence reports indicate terrorists are targeting flights by trying to smuggle bombs in electronic devices. In one instance, a bomb that might have been hidden in a laptop exploded on a flight from Mogadishu, Somalia, to Djibouti, The Washington Post reports.

What airlines does this affect?

Only Middle Eastern airlines are affected. There are no direct U.S.-bound flights from any of these airports to the U.S.

If the airlines don't comply, they may lose their authorization to fly to the U.S., a senior U.S. official told CNN Money.

How long does this last?

While the ban was initially described as indefinite, DHS spokesman David Lapan said it is set to run through October 14. It could be extended if the terror threat persists.

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